This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. Vehicles often include a system for wirelessly communicating with portable devices, such as smartphones, which are brought into the vehicle. Such systems may wirelessly communicate with a portable device by way of a Bluetooth communication link. Conventional protocols for establishing a communication link via Bluetooth may first pair the system with the portable device by using a pin code to authenticate the portable device requesting the wireless connection. Once the pin code is authenticated and a media access control (MAC) address is saved by both the system and the portable device, pairing is complete and the system and the portable device can automatically establish wireless communication when the two are within communication range (i.e., the portable device is brought into the vehicle).
Once a Bluetooth communication link is established, the portable device can access the system and perform a variety of functions via various Bluetooth profiles. For example, a hands free function allows an occupant to place or receive calls via the portable device by using a microphone and a speaker disposed in the vehicle. Also, the occupant can wirelessly stream and listen to audio files provided by the portable device through a vehicle audio system.
Portable devices brought into the vehicle by, for example, a guest, who may not be the primary user of the vehicle, may also wirelessly communicate with the system. Thus, allowing the guest to access the system to, for example, play music or even download information. As a result, once paired with the system, the portable device belonging to the guest may now automatically establish wireless communication with the system without the knowledge of the primary user.